A DOG walker was dramatically rescued, homes were surrounded by raw sewage and business were inundated as York and the region suffered another day of flood misery.

Water levels rose steadily throughout the region yesterday, including on the Ouse in York and Selby and the Derwent in Malton, where firefighters worked to pump water from Old Malton’s ageing sewerage network.

Malton was thrown into chaos last night as County Bridge was closed due to safety fears. Officials took the decision to close the bridge between Norton and Malton after water reached the top of the inner arches.

Several major roads were closed, including the A19 at Fulford, which police said they expected to remain closed into this morning. The Ouse in York was expected to peak at 4.8 metres above normal in the early hours of today. Also closed until further notice yesterday were Cawood bridge on the B1222 and nearby Kelfield Ings, as well as various roads in and around York, including Skeldergate.

Seven terraced houses in Aelfleda Terrace, Whitby, have been declared dangerous and may be demolished because the torrential rain started a landslide in their gardens.

The houses, mostly holiday lets, stand on the landward cliffside near Whitby Abbey and have been examined by a structural engineer.

Firefighters were called to Clifton Ings in York to rescue a woman who had become trapped on the bank. Crews used a boat to get her and her dogs to safety shortly after 1pm.

At least 54 houses in Old Malton faced a sewage-contaminated lake in the High Street. Emergency crews from Malton and Beverley pumped the water out using hoses across the raised flood defences back into the Derwent, but residents could only watch as the first of their homes was flooded ankle deep in foul water.

Resident Claire Richardson, 38, a saleswoman for York Brewery, said: “Since 7.30 this morning we have been all stood out watching the water come up. The fire brigade put out sandbags and plastic sheeting. But they couldn’t stop it. In the end, it just came up through the floors and we were ankle deep in it.”

In Easingwold, Hambleton District Council has set up a sandbag store in the Galtres Centre car park. Local residents can collect up to ten bags to help protect their property.

Businesses in Tower Street in York could only watch as water crept closer to their properties, some of which had dried out only days ago following flooding in September.

Ian Banks, of Dickinson Café, said: “We had a company come in to dry us out. They finally gave me a certificate to say I was dry last week, then I come in this morning and the place is filled with ground water and the back yard is flooded. At least I haven’t had to remove the fixtures and fittings because they are still out from last time.”

At neighbouring business Ali G’s takeaway, owner Ali Gurgur said he had “learned his lesson from last time” and the business had been refurbished with waterproof walls and floors, ahead of Monday’s planned reopening. At York Dungeon, staff were battling to pump out water yesterday, though the attractions had been moved from the premises following September’s floods.

Flood-hit business owners in York were due to meet today with the national head of the Federation Of Small Businesses to discuss the difficulty of obtaining insurance. John Walker will visit the Kings Staith area to meet some of city’s 900 federation members.

Two Malton people are in emergency accommodation after water flooded their home and made it uninhabitable.

Two drivers had to be rescued in separate incidents when both got stuck in floodwater on Moor Lane, Naburn.